Jumping the crane....

This is the core of Number One Spinningfields, with its three attendant cranes. It's the last building to be put up in Spinningfields, Manchester's new business district. When it's finished that will be Spinningfields done and dusted and the developers, Allied London, will be able to turn their attention to their other projects in the city, St. John's and the London Road Fire Station.

Yesterday they were 'jumping the crane' on the site. The crane being 'jumped' is the one nearest the core. The tower element of this development has a way to go yet to get to its intended height so the have to add height to the crane. If you look towards the top of the crane you can see a construction around the crane itself. That is holding the top and bottom of the crane in place while they insert another piece. There must be some point when the top of the crane is completely disconnected from the vertical element. It makes me dizzy to think about it. They will keep adding pieces until it reached its intended height.

How these cranes stay up is beyond me. They are top heavy and look too fragile to stay up in high winds. And one did come down in New York City this winter didn't it? This one at least has been braced with those huge struts connecting it to the core. They must know what they are doing I suppose.